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KDE Dolphin CVE-2026-110236

| EUVDEUVD-2026-99020 HIGH
OS Command Injection (CWE-78)
2026-10-13 disclosure@vulncheck.com GHSA-2mwq-hp78-h332
7.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: vulncheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Plant folder with crafted name on victim system
  2. Delivery
    Victim opens directory in Dolphin
  3. Exploit
    Victim double-clicks view background
  4. Execution
    Metacharacters escape {path} quoting
  5. Impact
    Shell executes injected command as user

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization OS command sanitization, avoid shell exec
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 1 tactic: Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Requires a directory whose name contains a double quote plus shell metacharacters to physically exist on the victim's filesystem - delivered out-of-band via a malicious archive, shared/network folder, USB drive, or cloned repository - and the victim must open that directory in a vulnerable Dolphin build (24.08.0-26.08.2) and double-click the empty view background, which invokes slotDoubleClickViewBackground and substitutes the attacker-controlled folder name into the {path} placeholder of a shell command. Limiting factors: no remote/network vector (AV:L), mandatory active user interaction (UI:A - the background double-click), the crafted folder must already be present (AT:P), execution is confined to the victim user's privileges (no scope change, SC/SI/SA:N), and only the listed version range is affected.

Impact

This is a genuine but interaction-gated local code-execution issue rather than a mass-exploitable remote flaw. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A) confirms a LOCAL attack vector requiring active victim interaction (a double-click) and a present attack condition (AT:P), which is why the base score lands at 7.1 (High) rather than Critical despite the full VC:H/VI:H/VA:H impact of OS command injection (CWE-78). No EPSS score and no CISA KEV entry were provided, and there is no explicit POC flag in the input; however, a public technical write-up (hackmd.io) and a VulnCheck advisory exist alongside a direct pointer to the vulnerable source line (dolphinmainwindow.cpp L3195-L3225), so the mechanics are publicly documented and reproduction is low-effort. The signals are internally consistent: a network vector is NOT claimed anywhere, so there is no CVSS-vs-description conflict to flag. Real priority is moderate - exploitation is trivial once a victim opens an attacker-controlled folder, but the local vector plus mandatory user interaction limits it to social-engineering / shared-media delivery rather than drive-by or wormable spread. Absence of EPSS/KEV data means widespread-exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified from the provided inputs.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker delivers a directory (via a shared network folder, USB drive, downloaded/extracted archive, or cloned repository) containing a subfolder whose name embeds a double quote and shell metacharacters. When the victim opens that directory in KDE Dolphin and double-clicks the empty view background, the crafted name is substituted into the {path} placeholder and the escaped shell command executes with the victim's privileges. Public technical write-ups and a VulnCheck advisory document the mechanism, so reproduction is straightforward.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 1.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026

OS command injection in KDE Dolphin 24.08.0 through 26.08.2 allows an attacker who can place a specially named directory on the victim's filesystem to run arbitrary commands with the victim's privileges when that folder's empty view background is double-clicked. The flaw lies in Dolphin substituting the folder path into the {path} placeholder of a shell command without neutralizing embedded double quotes and shell metacharacters, so a directory name such as one containing a quote plus ;, $(), or backticks escapes the quoting in slotDoubleClickViewBackground. This is a genuine but interaction-gated local issue rather than a mass-exploitable remote flaw: exploitation requires the crafted directory to already exist (delivered via archive, network/share, USB, or cloned repository), an affected build running, and mandatory user interaction (the background double-click); no public exploit code was identified at time of analysis, and impact stays within the victim's user scope with no scope change.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis: none of the provided references point to a fixed release tag, commit, or KDE security advisory specifying a corrected version, so verify the KDE Dolphin release notes and the KDE security announcements page before assuming a fix exists, and update to the first released version that states it addresses CVE-2026-110236. Until then, apply targeted compensating controls: avoid double-clicking the empty background area of folder views in Dolphin, particularly for directories whose names you do not control; treat untrusted archives, network/shared folders, USB media, and cloned repositories as the delivery vectors here, so extract or inspect them outside Dolphin (for example with a CLI unzip/tar to a path with a sanitized name) before browsing them; and rename or refuse to open any directory whose name contains double quotes or shell metacharacters ($, `, ;, |, &, parentheses, newlines) - the trade-off is that this breaks legitimate folders with such characters, which must be renamed first. Running Dolphin in a restricted/confined environment (sandbox with no shell execution or limited filesystem and process access) reduces the blast radius at the cost of losing some file-manager integration, and using an alternative file manager for untrusted content is a practical stopgap. Because exploitation requires a physically present crafted directory plus an explicit victim double-click and yields only the victim's own privileges (no scope change), prioritizing these mitigations for users who routinely open third-party archives or removable media gives the best risk reduction.

Affected VersionsENISA

Dolphin 24.08.0 ≤26.08.2

Affected Packages

euvd dolphin no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Dolphin is KDE Plasma's default graphical file manager. The vulnerable code path is slotDoubleClickViewBackground in src/dolphinmainwindow.cpp (approximately lines 3195-3225 as of v26.08.2), which handles a double-click on the unused area of a directory view. That handler builds and executes a shell command string in which the current folder path is substituted into a {path} placeholder; because the path is not correctly quoted or escaped, a directory whose name contains a double quote followed by shell metacharacters (for example semicolons, pipes, command substitution, or backticks) terminates the intended quoted argument and injects additional commands. This is a textbook CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command) instance: attacker-influenced data (the on-disk directory name, not a network input) flows into a command interpreter. The assessed vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (matching the published CVSS 7.1 / CVSS:4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A with no scope change) reflects that the trigger is local, unauthenticated, needs the crafted folder to be present (AT:P) and requires an active double-click by the victim (UI:A), with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact confined to the victim user's privileges. CPE strings were not supplied in the available data; the affected component is the Dolphin application package shipped with KDE Plasma desktops in the 24.08.0-26.08.2 range (EUVD: Dolphin 24.08.0 ≤ 26.08.2).

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Severity by source

Vendor (vulncheck) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

Local vector since the crafted folder must reside on the system (AV:L), trivial once present (AC:L), no auth needed (PR:N), but a victim double-click is mandatory (UI:R); command injection yields full C/I/A at user scope.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (vulncheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: vulncheck

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Active
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

KDE Dolphin 24.08.0 through 26.08.2 contains an OS command injection vulnerability that allows attackers to execute commands by supplying crafted folder names substituted into the {path} placeholder. Attackers can embed a double quote and shell metacharacters in a directory name to escape quoting in slotDoubleClickViewBackground, executing commands when victims double-click the view background.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

KDE Dolphin, the default file manager on KDE-based Linux desktops and many engineering workstations, carries a command-injection flaw (CVE-2026-110236) across versions 24.08.0 through 26.08.2 that can execute code under a user's own account when a specially named folder's background is double-clicked. The issue is local and interaction-gated rather than remote or self-propagating - it requires a malicious directory to already be present on the endpoint plus deliberate user action - and no public exploit code was identified at time of analysis. Leadership should care because the affected population is desktop Linux staff whose local credentials and reachable data define the blast radius, and because no vendor-released patch is available, remediation currently depends on operational controls rather than a simple update.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: disable or reconfigure the folder-view background double-click action in Dolphin via managed KDE profiles, run users with least-privilege local accounts, quarantine and scan archives, USB media, network shares, and cloned repositories before extraction into user-accessible directories, and monitor endpoint telemetry for Dolphin spawning shell or interpreter processes.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
1.0%
Top 37% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
default KDE Plasma file manager, common on Linux desktops but not universal
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 1.0%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
Medium

Priority Score

37
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

OS command injection occurs when an application passes unsanitized user input directly into system shell commands.

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